Best known for his 1985
discovery of the TITANIC, Dr. Robert Ballard has succeeded in tracking
down numerous, significant shipwrecks. He is a National Geographic Society
Explorer-In-Residence, a commissioner on the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, and
president of the Ocean Exploration Trust. An explorer, discoverer and
historian, Ballard’s fascinating journeys can teach us a great deal about our
past, and they have encouraged others to take tremendous strides in the survey
of the undiscovered mysteries of the deep sea.

Colson
Whitehead has established himself as one of the most versatile and innovative
writers in contemporary literature. From the secret lives of elevators to
international poker tournaments, Whitehead takes on the marginal, the strange
and the surreal. His newest novel, The Underground Railroad, is a 2017 Pulitzer Prize winner,
was the 2016 National Book Award winner and appeared at the top of the New
York Times bestseller list.

As the commander
of Joint Task Force Katrina, he became known as the “Category 5 General” for
his striking leadership style in coordinating military relief efforts in
post-hurricane New Orleans. Drawing on his in-the-trenches experience managing
conflicts of both the natural and man-made variety, Gen. Honoré delivers a
bracing dose of candor with real-world leadership lessons that will equip
audiences with a mindset of global preparedness and instill confidence in
tomorrow’s leaders.

The Capitol Steps
began as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and
places that employed them. Taken together, the performers have worked in a
total of 18 Congressional offices and represent 62 years of collective House
and Senate staff experience. Since they began, the Capitol Steps have recorded 26
albums. They've been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC and PBS, and can be heard four times a year on National Public Radio stations nationwide during their “Politics Takes a Holiday” radio
specials. No matter who's in the headlines, whether on the left or the right side of the aisle, the Capitol Steps are equal
opportunity offenders.